Latest MNsure friction over voter registration

ST. PAUL, Minn. - Minnesota House Republicans are calling out MNsure again, this time over the way the state health insurance exchange distributed voter registration cards.

House republicans say they're not opposed to voter registration, but they're concerned about the cost and staff time devoted to distributing them.

"When we've spent over $400 million on a website that still isn't functioning the way it was promised, and with the open enrollment period coming up in just a couple of week, from my view is it needs to be all hands on deck," said Rep. Roz Peterson (R-Lakeville).

MNsure issued the following response:

“All state agencies are statutorily required to provide voter registration services pursuant to Minnesota Statutes, section 201.162. Consumers have the option to request a voter registration card in the Minnesota Eligibility Technology System, or METS, application process and also on paper applications. Only consumers who request a voter registration card will be sent a voter registration card. Requests for a voter registration cards are processed by the Health Care Eligibility Operations (HCEO) group within the Department of Human Services and also by counties (for private and public program enrollees). The Department of Human Services has been processing requests for voter registration cards for years, even before the introduction of the METS system.”